Engagement Letter

letter of engagement between the lerner center and the student consulting team february 13, 2006 I.BACKGROUND established in 2004 through a gift from the couple for whom it is named, the lerner center already is emerging as a vital and productive resource for world-class research and expertise. its mission focuses on expanding and disseminating knowledge on management issues of critical importance to the industry by: •

encouraging idea exchange among industry professionals and academics through seminars and workshops

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providing customized programs for life sciences organizations

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supporting faculty and phd student research in pharmaceutical management

the lerner center galvanizes rbs’s partnership with the pharmaceutical industry and deepens its support by upholding these businesses as vital contributors to the state’s economy. at the same time, the center complements rbs’s pharmaceutical mba program and enriches the educational experience of its students. the ultimate goal of the center is to position itself as a bastion of excellence in research and training in pharmaceutical management studies. the lerner center is seeking the services of the student consulting team to provide a marketing plan for the lerner center. in connection with this engagement, the student consulting team has referred to and relied upon information provided by the lerner center. II.PROJECT OBJECTIVES the lerner center would like the student consulting team to develop a marketing plan to increase the awareness of the lerner center on both the national and regional level. this plan will include recommendations on how to advertise, manage, and fund the lerner center. these recommendations will be based on market research that has been collected by the student consulting team. additionally the lerner center would like the student consulting team to gather secondary research about similar pharmaceutical m.b.a. programs offered at other universities in the united states to provide data that may be used in the future design of the pharmaceutical m.b.a. curriculum. III.APPROACH the student consulting team will research current pharmaceutical research centers at other universities to determine how their centers are managed. the team will identify possible co-

promotion opportunities for the lerner center to engage in to increase awareness at both the regional and national level. the team will the primary research in which the student consulting team will engage in is contacting other academic institutions that have similar pharmaceutical research centers and performing telephone interviews to gain information on the organizational structure and management of the centers. additional primary research will be conducted via telephone interviews with various companies that offer corporate training programs to identify possible co-promotion opportunities for the lerner center. the secondary marketing research will be conducted to identify the number of students enrolled in pharmaceutical m.b.a programs and the different curriculums that are being offered. additional secondary market research will be collected about similar academic pharmaceutical research centers. the data will also be used to develop a swot analysis of the program and the lerner center that will be used as part of the marketing plan. IV.CLIENT DELIVERABLES 1. the student consulting team will submit and formally present the project data to the lerner center board of advisors meeting in presentation form on may 1, 2006. 2. the lerner center will receive a marketing plan designed to increase the awareness of the center within the university and within the pharmaceutical industry. 3. the lerner center will receive detailed market research on pharmaceutical m.b.a. programs offered by other universities and their associated pharmaceutical academic centers. this research will also contain analysis on V.SCOPE OF CONSULTING PROJECT/RESPONSIBILITIES general guidelines: •

objectives and assumptions contained in the project proposal are based on information provided to the student consulting team by mahmud hassan ph.d., director of the lerner center for pharmaceutical management studies and howard tuckman ph.d., dean of rutgers business school.

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this letter of engagement will define the scope of the consulting project.

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any modifications to project requirements must be agreed to by dr. hassan, the student consulting team and the professor - and must be documented via e-mail or written agreement.

the lerner center responsibilities •

communicate project requirements openly and precisely.

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actively engage in project design and implementation.

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commit the time and resources necessary to provide all requested information, feedback, and guidance on a timely basis.

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be available to the student consulting team at mutually agreeable times and locations, either via telephone or in person.

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provide any resources and/or budget to the student consulting team as agreed upon by this letter of engagement and in subsequent written authorizations.

the student consulting team responsibilities •

actively participate in all meetings to understand the lerner center’s requirements and deliverables.

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remain in regular contact with dr. hassan throughout the project.

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communicate project requirements openly and precisely.

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manage project deliverables and timelines.

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conduct all meetings and exchanges in a professional and courteous manner.

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maintain the confidentiality of project information.

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identify a single primary point of contact and supply additional contact information of all team members.

VI.PROJECT BUDGET at this early stage, no expenses are expected, but there may be costs associated with this project. should expenses arise, they will require prior authorization by dr. hassan. authorization may be in the form of e-mail from the primary point of contact. VII.PROJECT SCHEDULE •

identify the organizational structure the lerner center and its needs. this task will be completed with both the initial interview held on january 31, 2006 with dr. hassan at the university and the subsequent interview held on february 14, 2006 with dr. hassan and dean tuckman at the university.

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primary research to be conducted via telephone interviews of staff at similar academic pharmaceutical research centers at other universities. this will be conducted from february 13, 2006 through march 31, 2006. the data will be collected and analyzed to provide a conceptual model for the lerner center. additional primary research will be conducted via telephone interviews with various companies that offer corporate training programs to identify possible copromotion opportunities for the lerner center.

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secondary research to be conducted via library research and internet websites of other universities to identify the number of students enrolled in pharmaceutical m.b.a programs and the different curriculums that are being offered. this information will be collected and analyzed provide a data that may be used in the future design of the pharmaceutical m.b.a. curriculum.

certain steps outlined above will be done concurrently. project milestones will be marked with interim updates to the lerner center. VIII.AGREEMENT the analysis, recommendations, and final report that will be provided should not be interpreted as the official position of the university or its staff. rather, it will contain the views and opinions of the small business institute student consulting team based on discussions, observations, investigations, and analysis of the lerner center and the business environment in which it operates. if circumstances arise that are beyond the control of the student consulting team or the lerner center and the completion of this project cannot be achieved, the student consulting team and the lerner center shall jointly take a course of action that is mutually agreeable.